A COUPLE of women who were suffered sexual abuse during their childhoods presented a show in Rhyl on the subject last week after forming a new theatre company together.
Mia Lockley, from Towyn, and Becca Collings, from Mold, have set up “Action Theatre”, which is based in Old Colwyn.
Mia wrote, and they both directed, “No Further Action”, a play which was presented at Rhyl Little Theatre on February 25.
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The play tells the true story of a young woman who suffered childhood sexual abuse, and aimed to give more of a voice to victims.
It come about after the “Action for Survivors” project, which gave survivors of childhood sexual abuse the chance to create an educational, moving piece of theatre on the topic.
Becca said: “The play is to raise awareness of sexual violence among young people, and highlight the ‘injustice system’, as we call it, towards survivors.
“Being a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, you’re always imprisoned. Your brain is always battling through what you’ve been through. It’s something that is going to affect the rest of my life.
“It’s not a case of ‘just’ depression and anxiety. We have a lot of symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and dissociation, and lots of thoughts of denial.
“A lot of people don’t realise that it’s not something you remember chronologically, from A to B.”
Becca, who met Mia roughly seven years ago at the Colwyn Bay-based Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre North Wales, was delighted at the response to the play.
They are to present the play at the Conwy One Act Festival and Manchester Fringe Festivals, and hope to bring it to schools, colleges, universities and workplaces in the future.
She added: “It was really well-received; better than we could have ever imagined. The turnout was absolutely overwhelming.
“It was my first ever play since I left high school, and it was breathtaking.
“We’ve had a lot of positive feedback, and of people saying they’d learnt things in the play that they had no idea about before.”
*Both Becca and Mia waived their right to anonymity as victims of sexual offences.
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